Christmas is looking a little different this year for some people in Australia after the COVID-19 pandemic created financial instability and loneliness.
Michael Cruikshank was a slipway manager at a Sydney marina two years ago, but now he relies on organisations such as Parramatta Mission and the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation to eat.
With their help, he has also received a special kind of gift to start the new year - a fresh haircut.
"I hadn't had a haircut since the end of the last pandemic, " Michael told SBS News.
Michael Cruikshank after his fresh haircut. Source: SBS
"I come in and looked like Santa - I had the grey hair, the big beard. They did the haircut, but I didn't ask them to do the beard."
Mr Cruikshank says the struggle that came with 2021 was unpredictable.
"I didn't expect to be on the street instead of my home that I lived in. There's a lot of people in the same boat though, a lot of people's first time on the streets."
He's thankful for the help he's received from Parramatta Mission and their partnering organisations, and he's also humbled by the generosity of others who are sleeping rough too.
"People have worst stories than I do and they still offer you a $1 or a coffee, it humbles you a bit. We're the most honest people you'll ever meet. "
Parramatta Mission, part of the Uniting Church in Australia, provides meals, accommodation and mental health services to people across Greater Western Sydney.
Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation partnered with Parramatta Mission to provide free haircuts. Source: SBS
Its Meals Plus initiatives serve up 70 breakfasts and 150-200 lunches each day.
"The members that come here are a true community, they come from all histories, all walks of life and they're no different to anyone else - they have their good days, they have their not so good days," Meals Plus coordinator Paul Moussa said.
"Meals Plus gives them a safe haven where they can come be themselves and not be judged."
St Vincent de Paul is another of many Australian charities helping those in need. The organisation has been using church spaces and garages to pack together donated gifts ready for delivery to households ahead of Christmas Day.
Donna Boyd is the Vinnies Support Centre Coordinator in Redfern and says people from all walks of life have accessed their services over the past two years.
"There has definitely been an increase. We've been seeing people and helping people who have never reached out to us before, who never imagine they'd find themselves in financial hardship," she told SBS News.
Vinnies Redfern Support Centre have been preparing Christmas hampers and toys for distribution to families in need. Source: vinnies.org.au
Volunteers step up
Volunteers such as Sharon and her daughter, Hannah, from the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation, help people like Michael stay afloat, donating their time to Parramatta Mission cutting hair, cooking, packing hampers or having a yarn with the community's most vulnerable.
Hannah, 25, says she loves seeing the smile on people's faces when they receive their new haircut.
"It's really lovely seeing vulnerable individuals come in here, some of them haven't had their hair cut since the last time we were here which was a year ago, and being able to cut their hair and freshen them up and give them that sense of dignity, and also for them, help them regain their sense of self," Hannah said.
Sharon Frazer and her daughter Hannah Frazer. Source: SBS
The art of volunteering has personal significance to Sharon and her daughter after Sharon was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago, surviving with the support of friendly faces she did not know.
"I went through lots of chemotherapies and bone marrow transplants. At that period of time volunteers came and helped me, made meals for me, and cared for my families and I really really appreciate that. I wanted to join these organisations so I can give back," she said.
Volunteers such as Sharon are also particularly important to Parramatta Mission as 40 per cent of its vulnerable visitors come from a Chinese background. Sharon speaks five languages including Mandarin and Cantonese.
"They feel really comfortable the minute they know you speak their language - they like to tell you about their stories, how they come to this country, their background and how happy they are being here to get a free haircut, and get meals as well," she said.
A recipient of the haircut intiative. Source: SBS
The volunteers who help out at Parramatta Mission are from a range of backgrounds, something Hannah finds really special.
"We have individuals from different faiths, different ethnicities and different organisations coming together ... It's really lovely to see how much more we can achieve when we're all working together," she said.
